Manifolding-machine.



No. 643,967. Patented Feb. 2o, |900. l c. LoHnMAN;

MANIFOLDING MACHINE.

(Application med nec. 2, 1899.)

(No Modal.) I 2 shgefssheet l;

s die' j Lm" da A fr0/MHS.

` No. 643,967. Patented Feb. 2o, |900.

K c. LUHRMAN.

MANIFULDING MACHINE.

' (Application led Dec. 2, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNTED Simms PATENT rrrcinl CHARLES LOHRMAN, on NEW YORK, N. Y;

MANIFoLolNe-MACH'INE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,967, dated February 20, 1900. Application led December 2, 1899. Serial No. 738,943. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LOHRMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Manifolding- Machine, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and compact machine upon which bills, invoices, and other memoranda may be simultaneously produced in triplicate upon a single sheet and to so construct the machine that the folded sheet to be written upon may be quickly placed in position and removed without injury and so that the ribboncarrying spools will be readily accessible and may be adjusted from the exterior of the machine.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the severalr parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the machine.

The bed A of the machine consists, usually, of a bottom section 10, side sections 11, standards 12 at each side of the center of the rear portion of the bottom, and a drop-section 13, located at the front and having hinged connection with the bottom, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The bottom of the frame near its front is provided with a horizontal recess 14 in its upper face, extending from one side to a point near the center. The recess 14 is adapted to receive a latch-lever 15, pivoted therein by a suitable pin 16, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and this lever is held normally by springs 17 in such position that it -will be in locking engagement with a keeper forming a portion of a tray B. This tray B is 1ocated Within the bed and is of less width and of less length than the bed, being pivoted at the rear portion of said bed in the following mariner: A sleeve 1S is loosely mounted in the rear uprights l2, as shown in Fig. 4, and a twolpart or sectional shaft 19 is located within the said sleeve7 being attached thereto by pins 1Sa or their equivalents. The outer ends of the sec@ ytions of the shaft 19 extend beyond the outer faces of the standards 12 and are secured in any suitable or approved manner to blocks 20, as is also shown in Fig. 4. The tray B consists of a bottom 2l and sides 22, the latter at their rear portions being mounted to turn on the sections of the shaft 19 between the standards 12 and the blocks 20. The tray is open at the rear and at the front and is held normally close to the bottom of the bed, as shown in Fig. 2, through the medium of a keeper 23 at the bottom of the tray engaging with the latch 15, heretofore referred to and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; but when the tray is ldisengaged from the latch 15 its forward end vis carried upward by means of a spring 24,

which spring, as shown, is of strap form and is attached to the rear of the bottom of the bed, being loosely carried over the sleeve 18 and secured to the rear portion of the bottom of the tray, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The tray B at the front is provided with tWo side extensions 25, terminating at their upper ends in forks 26, and these side extensions are in longitudinal alinement with the blocks 20, carried by the shaft 19.

A casing C is secured in any suitable or approved manner at the rear portion of the bed,

covering the shaft 19, the sleeve 18, and the spring 24. This casing C is provided with a tongue 27, which extends from the forward central edge of the top of the casing forwardly to an engagement with the upper edge of the drop-section 13 of the bed when the said section is in its upright position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This tongue 27 constitutes a table upon which the writing is done and over which the copying material is passed when the machine is in working order. The tongue 27 may be made of any suitable material and may be either a portion of the casing or otherwise applied. A guide-frame D is likewise mounted to rock in the bed, and said frame extends from the front edge of the casing to the drop-section 13 and is provided with an aperture or opening 28 in its top, as

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shown in Fig. 1, the table or tongue 27 passing forwardly beneath this opening, and the said opening 28 in the guide-frame is slightly greater in width than the width of the table 27. The guide-frame D is of greater width than the tray B and has side flanges 29,which closely approach the sides of the bed A. The guide-frame is open at the front and at the rear; but at each side of its rear portion a partition 30 is secured, which extends downv wardly, and the two partitions practically fill the space between the sides of the tray and the sides or fianges 29 of the guide-frame, as shown in Fig. Ll. Each of the partitions 30 is provided with an opening 31, and a shaft 32 is passed from the rear through each opening 31, the opening being of greater diameter than the shaft, and the forward ends of the shafts 32 rest in the forks 26 on the side extensions 25 of the tray, while the rear ends of the shafts 32 pass through the blocks 2O and out through the rear end of the casing C. That portion of each shaft 32 between the partitions 30 of the guide-frame and the forward support of the shaft is polygonal in order that a spool may be placed upon this portion of each shaft and be prevented from turning except when the shaft is turned, and a copying-ribbon 34 of suitable character extends from one of these spools 33 to the other.

The ribbon may be wound from one spool to the other by turning the shafts 32, and this is accomplished at the rear end of the machine, as the rear end of each shaft 32 is preferably provided with a thu mb-n ut 32, Whereby either shaft may be readily turned, and each shaft 32 is also provided within the casing with a ratchet-wheel 35, the teeth of the wheels facing in opposite directions. Each ratchet-wheel is provided with a detent 36 in the nature of a spring, which'detents are secured to the blocks 20, and their free ends ore curved upward, as shown in Fig. Each shaft 36 is also provided with a sliding sleeve 36, that extends through the rear of the casing C. A beveled flange 36b is formed upon the inner end of each sleeve 36, and these flanges are normally in engagement with the free ends of the detents, as shown also in Fig. 3. Thus by forcing in one of the sleeves 36 the engaging detent will be raised from the ratchet-wheel with which it contacts, and the shaft on which the sleeve is mounted may be turned and the ribbon wound thereon and stretched, as the ratchet-wheel on the opposing shaft 32 will slip by the detent provided or it.

A door 37 is hinged to the front upper portion of the guide-frame D near each side flange 29, and these doors extend downward and engage with latches 38, carried by the side extensions 35 of the tray, and each door 37is provided with an aperture receiving the forward extremity of a shaft 32.

The guide-frame D is pivotally mounted in the tray B and also has sliding movement from the rear in an upward and forward di-v rection. This movement is rendered possible by producing upwardly and forwardly inclined slots d in the sides of the tray, as shown in Fig. 2, and passing through these slots d a shaft D', capable of turning and traveling in the slots d, which shaft D at its ends is secured to the sides of the said guide-frame. The guide-frame normally rests within the bed over the tray, as shown in Fig. 2, and when it is to be raised and drawn forward for the purpose of removing the spools 33 such movement is accomplished by dropping the section 13 of the bed and pulling forwardly upon the arm 39, which is attached to the central portion of the shaft D and leads to the front of the bed, where it terminates usually in a knob 40, as shown in Fig. 2. The spools 33 may then be readily withdrawn from the shafts 32 or changed from one shaft 32 to the other.

The copying-ribbon 34 extends across the upper face of the table 27 and likewise across the opening or aperture 2S in the guide-frame D. The material that is to be written upon is usually in the form of a long strip folded upon itself to form three parallel yet connected members 41, 42, and 43, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and one of the said members is preferably in the form of an envelop.

Vhen the material to be written upon is placed in the machine or is to be removed therefrom, the tray and the frame are simultaneously released by carrying the latch-lever 15 out of engagement with the tray, and both the tray and the frame will move upward together. In placing the paper one section of it-the section 41, for example-is passed between the ribbon and the table from the front of the machine, while the other two sections rest one upon the other, the intermediate section being in engagement with the upper surfaceoftheribbon. Bywritingupon the exposed face of the upper member of the sheet the matter is duplicated upon the other sheets.

The guide-frame D is disconnected from the tray only when the ribbon is to be reversed or when a new ribbon and new spools are to be introduced into the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A bed, a tray mounted to rock on the bed, aguide-frame mounted to rock over the bed, the said frame having an opening in its upper portion, a table beneath the said opening, and means for holding a copying-sheet over the table.

2. A bed, a tray having movement to and from the bed, a guide-frame having an opening in its top, the said frame having likewise independent movement to and from the tray or a concerted movement therewith, a winding device for a copying-sheet located between the tray and frame, and a table extending across vthe opening in the frame.

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3. Abed, a tray mounted to rock in the bed, a guide-frame having au opening therein and having rocking and sliding movement in the tray, the upper apertured or open portion of the frame extending over the tray, a table adapted to ent-er'the frame, spool-supports carried by the guide-frame at opposite sides of and below the aperture or opening therein, and means for adjusting theisaid supports.

4. Abed, a tray mounted to rock in the bed, a guide-frame having an opening therein and having rocking and sliding movement in the tray, the upper apertured or open portion of the frame extending over the tray, a table adapted to enter the frame, spool-supports carried by the guide-frame at opposite sides of and below the aperture or opening therein, means for adjusting said supports, a latch connection between the guide-frame and the tray, and a locking connection between the tray and the bed, the two said connections being capable of independent operation, as set forth.

5. In a manifolding-machine, the combination, with a bed, a springcontrolled tray mounted in the said bed, the said tray having inclined openings in its sides, and a latch connection between the tray and the bed, of a guide-frame having an opening in its top, which top extends over the tray and beyond its sides, a pivot connected with the guideframe, extending through the openings in the tray, shafts mounted to turn in supports carried partially by the tray and partially by the guide-frame, means for turning the said shafts, spools mounted on the sections of the shaft within the guide-frame, means for turning the spools with the shafts, a copying material extending from spool to spool beneath the opening in the upper portion of the guideframe, a spring-table extending forwardly beneath the upper opening in the guide-frame and below the copying materiahand a device for moving the pivot of the said guide-frame in the slots of the tray, substantially as described.

f In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES LOI-IRMAN.

Witnesses: J. FRED. ACKER, FRANK A. BAYLEs. 

